Thousands march in Peru to oppose Fujimori before election

Demonstrators take part in a protest against presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori , in downtown Lima, Peru, Tuesday, May 31, 2016. The South American country is gearing up for a tight June 5th runoff between Keiko, the daughter of jailed former President Alberto Fujimori, and former World Bank economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
(The Associated Press)

Demonstrators protest against presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of disgraced former leader Alberto Fujimori, at Plaza San Martin in downtown Lima, Peru, Tuesday, May 31, 2016. The South American country is gearing up for a tight June 5th runoff between Keiko and former World Bank economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
(The Associated Press)

A demonstrator wearing a headband with a message that reads in Spanish: "Reject Keiko! Fujimori never again" takes part in a protest against presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of disgraced former leader Alberto Fujimori, at Plaza San Martin in downtown Lima, Peru, Tuesday, May 31, 2016. The South American country is gearing up for a tight June 5th runoff between Keiko and former World Bank economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
(The Associated Press)

LIMA, Peru – Thousands joined in marches across Peru on Tuesday to oppose the presidential candidacy of Keiko Fujimori just days before her runoff contest against another pro-business conservative, Pedro Kuczynski.

Fujimori's critics view her as a threat to democracy, pointing to her father, former President Alberto Fujimori. He is in prison for authorizing death squads and corruption during his decade in power as an authoritarian leader in the 1990s.

Keiko Fujimori has sought to counter her critics by vowing not to revive the hard-line methods of her father, who is still popular with many rural Peruvians for defeating the Maoist-inspired Shining Path rebels.

Fujimori easily led the initial round of the April 10 presidential ballot. Kuczynski, a former World Bank economist, finished second to earn the other spot in Sunday's runoff election.